Fabric bolt rack



Feb. 2 1, 1939. T. w. EYRES' FABRIC BOLT RAK Filed April 27, 1956 ,1549.295 ,G7

nlmllwnlllllllllllllllllg" i i M, @my y I |ml||||||||||m||||||||||||| mllllllllllllllllll Patented Feb. 21, 1939 "PATENT `OFFICE FABRIC BOLT-RACK of Delaware Application April 27,

3 Claims.

.10 4Widths such :as A36 and 39" are customarily #wrapped-,around flat boards'of approximately 36" or 39 lengths respectively. -Piece goods of '54, .156" and v58 widthsusuallyare folded in half longitudinally ,andthen-wrapped around flat core `15 `b oard whose length is about :half the original Width of thegoods.

Heret'ofore these bolts Yhave been fdisplay'ed `usually by laying themhorizontally Aon tables or shelves, piled one above the other. Occasionally 20 :theyhave been stood` on end-on tables.

1The first method is unsatisfactory as the bolts at thebottoms of the piles become obscured, while the second method is impractical as the bolts tip -over tooreadily.

.My invention provides, in a single fixture, a pair of inclined walls againstwhich the bolts may be leaned with a supporting -shelf at right angles 'to leach inclined wall. The Ainclination of each back Wall is such that the bolts lean against it :sufficiently to create enough frictional contact to cause the bolts to remain upright.

Aanother" feature of `my. invention isfthat a single 4raclr maybe -made pto accommodate conveniently fand neatly bolts of lcliiferent lengths, the shorter bolts :being set `up =on la removable platform so that allofzthebolts onopposite sides ofthe double -rack may :have `theirfupper ends at approximately the rsame level, while `ample opportunity is provided `fordraping the `fabric `from the vari- Yous `bolts. without allowingthe fabric to reach the Vfloor `where it could lbe trampled uponand ,soiled by the customers or clerks.

...A `.further feature vof the .invention is that by placing the inclined wallsback to back, space is provided 4for storing of the removable platforms when either or both are not needed.

The provisionof the :above mentioned new features-and `others inherently possessed by the invention constitute the various objects of this invention.

In the drawing, for the purpose ,of illustrating the naturejof the inventiona preferred embodiment thereof is shown.

Fig. 1 is .a side elevationof a bolt fabric rack `made in accordancewith the invention;

1936, Serial No. 76,495

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 Aof Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable platform or block forming `a part of the invention.

Figure `i is a perspective View showing a pair of 5 racks arranged to form an aisle between them.

Referring further to the drawing, the preferred 'embodiment of the invention comprises a pair of yinclined walls -I and 2 joined together at 3, as shown, and having their lower edges supported by partitions 4 and 5 which rest upon the floor 6. Shelves 'I and 8, each at right angles to its adjoininginclined wall, are provided, as shown,\and terminate at the vertical walls 9 and II. End wallsior partitions I2 and I3 are provided upon l5 `which theends ofthe inclined Walls maybe secured, these partitions also serving to limit the lateral `movement `of the lbolts when ,they are fbeing packed tightly into the rack. Theseend Walls, `of course, may be made in various coni'lgurations for decorative purposes, but, in any event,.should provide end abutments for both the top and bottom extremities of the bolts against which the bolts may be pushed when the rack is being filled.

Also, in order to safeguard the bolts from being Vtipped over from rapid or careless handling of them, one orrnore boards such as I4 may be posi- `tioned as shown, projecting `through the 'two-.op- -posite inclined Walls. Ordinarily the bolts Will stand as placed with their longitudinal axes in a vertical plane because of their frictional contact with `the inclined Wall, lbut during the rapid handling of Athe bolts, they could be pushed over accidentally. Hence one or more projecting boards I4 maybe provided.

It will be observed that the fioor 6 of the double rack is raised somewhat above the oor line I5 on Whichthe entire device rests, supporting partitions I6, I'I, I.8 and I9 being `provided for that 40 purpose. If desired, these partitions may be lined with a layer of resilient material, such as the layer 2|, which may be linoleum or somesimilar material so that when the shoes of the customers or clerks strike against these partitions no permanent disflgurement of the device will occur. These partitions may be readily repainted, cleaned `or renewed and the upper portions of the fabric rack at all times preserved from any marring. Naturally, in connection with the proper display of the fabric, the rack itself should be made of attractive appearing material, such as veneer covered wood, or `other materials suitable for store fixtures.

In order that thebolt fabric rack may accommodate bolts of different lengths, one` or more removable platforms are provided which may be placed upon the shelves 'I or 8. Preferably these platforms consist of a pair of walls 22 and 23 secured together by a plurality of webs such as 26 and 2l. This removable platform should be very ruggedly constructed so that it may properly carry the weight of heavy bolts of cloth and may be removed and replaced expeditiously without requiring any special skill or care in its handling. The wall 22 of the platform will be so proportioned as to continue in the same plane as the vertical partition II, for the sake of appearance.

Between the inclined walls I and 2 is a space which is utilized as the storage compartment for one or more of the removable platforms. It will usually be most satisfactory to have each platform extend the full length of the distance between the end walls I2 and I3 of the rack, and a platform of such a length is easily disposed within the storage space between the opposite doors 24 and 25. The height of the platforms which are supplied with each rack will depend upon the difference in length of the bolts which a, single rack is intended to accommodate. For example, if most of the bolts which the rack must handle are 36 inches long or 27 or 28 or 29 inches long, the platform can be made 9 or 10 inches high so that any of the shorter bolts placed thereon will extend to about the same level as a 36 inch bolt which might be disposed upon the opposite rack. By raising the shorter bolts up on a platform of approximately the height indicated, one is able to drape the material from the short bolts to an adequate extent for display purposes without causing the material to extend to the floor where it might be trampled upon or scuffed and soiled by the clerks or the public. The length of the longer bolts, of course, is sufficient so that when some of the fabric is unrolled from them and hooked over the top end of such long bolts, a sullicient draping of the material is possible without allowing it to fall to the floor. Furthermore, by raising up the short bolts their upper end portions are made visible to customers passing on opposite sides of the racks and thus they are assured of not being overlooked. The stepping up of the short bolts positions them high enough so that when the clerks are replacing them rapidly upon the rack, they are more certain to strike the projecting board I4 if they are accidentally pushed over.

The entire construction of the rack must, of course, be very rugged as it will be subjected to hard usage during the ordinary course of business and should last for many years without maintenance expense. Cracks and projections which might tear or snag the fabrics should be avoided.

While it has not been customary in the past to display bolts of yard goods on anything lower than tables of about 30 inch height, my new rack for displaying them at a lower level has a number of advantages not heretofore perceived. The permanent shelves 'I and 8 are preferably located between one and two feet above the floor level.

The double rack shown is particularly desirable, in that it enables the merchant to display the bolt fabrics in racks arranged in open aisles through which the customers may or must pass.

The racks are preferably not longer than 6 to l feet in length so that customers and clerks may walk around them conveniently. Both short and long bolts are supported high enough above the floor to permit adequate draping without covering other adjacent bolts or allowing the materia] to touch the floor, yet the overall height is so limited, preferably, that customers may look over the top of the rack to see the material display on the opposite side. Hence none of the material on display need escape the customers notice.

The stops such as I4 are low enough to be engaged by any bolt being tipped over, and yet should not protrude, preferably, beyond the thickness of the bolts, hence are concealed by them when the rack is full.

Shelves 28 and 29 are mounted on either or both vertical end walls so that bolts of goods may be partially unrolled and placed thereon with the unrolled portions hanging vertically therefrom. 'I'hus the pattern of any bolt may be flatly displayed without removing the bolt from the rack to a table. The complete rack therefore affords not only compact storage space but every necessary facility for display of the goods.

The lower and longer shelf 29 is supported just above the door 25 in any suitable manner, for example, by brackets such as 3| at either side of the door.

The walls preferably will be inclined from approximately to 20 from a vertical plane to cause the bolts to lean quite heavily against them. When inclined in -approximately the amount stated, the pulling out of one bolt will not drag out others. Furthermore, the draped material hangs at an inclined angle to be thus better lighted by overhead lights.

As the length of the bolts being displayed in different seasons of the year varies considerably, the removable and readily stored platforms enable the clerks themselves to adjust the shelf levels readily to the current demands.

As shown in the drawing, the bolts are stood on end on the rack shelves, with the plane of the major axis of the elliptical cross section of the bolts perpendicular to the inclined walls. In this way the largest number of bolts can be placed on a rack shelf.

It should be understood that the drawing illustrates merely the preferred embodiment of the invention and that other modifications of the invention may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention dened in the following claims.

Having shown and described my invention, I claim:

l. A fabric bolt rack comprising a pair of at inclined walls connected together at their upper ends and diverging outwardly and downwardly therefrom at about 10 to 20 from the vertical, a shelf secured at the bottom of each wall at right angles thereto extending outwardly and upwardly, means for supporting upon a oor said shelves and walls, said means and the vertical height of the walls being proportioned to limit the upper edges of the walls to substantially less than the average eye level of persons standing on the adjacent floor whereby bolts on opposite sides of the rack are simultaneously visible from either side, each wall extending above its associated shelf to a height approximately equal to the length of fabric bolts stood on said shelves, and a removable platform having parallel top and bottom surfaces for placement upon either shelf proportioned for raising the tops of short bolts to approximately the same level as long bolts standing directly upon the other shelf.

2. A rack for supporting fabric bolts on end comprising a base, a pair of inclined walls supported thereon and connected together at their upper ends and arranged back to back, each wall having a shelf secured at the bottom thereof extending outwardly at right angles thereto, said walls being inclined downwardly and outwardly about 10 to 20 from the vertical, and abutments at the ends of said Walls projecting outwardly from their surfaces, each Wall surface being flat and free from projections throughout one or more areas each sufficiently wide to receive a plurality of bolts leaned there against while standing on end.

3. A rack for supporting fabricl bolts on end comprising a base, a flat wall secured to the base and supported thereon at an inclination of about 10 to 20 from the vertical, a flat shelf secured at the bottom of said wall extending outwardly and upwardly at right angles thereto, the height of said wall above said shelf being approximately equal to the length of fabric bolts to be stood on end on said shelf, the width of the wall being sucient to receive a plurality of fabric bolts stood on end on the shelf and leaning against the wall,

and means at the ends of the Wall for confining 10 bolts adjacent thereto.

THOMAS W. lElYRES. 

